[bfprog] Packaging and Importing Custom Python Code

[Anton Jansen]

Hi list,

I couldn't restrain myself from responsing to this e-mail, seems that my 
software architecture research is good for something in this world ;-)  
Anyway, I want to respond to the issue pointed out by Forrest:

Forrest Thiessen wrote:
"...
It seems to me that what's missing here is something in the default code 
that (as one way of doing it) would import any custom Python packages 
contained in a certain directory, so that all you need to do to add or 
change features in the game is to drop the new packages into that 
directory and restart the server. Since that's not in the default 
server  code, I suggest the way to do this is to have ONE standard 
modification to the default code that adds this capability; everybody 
makes that one standard change, and from then on, everyone just pops any 
changes they want cleanly into the "custom" directory, and away you go.
"

Basically what you propose is a plugin framework, like metamod for HL2. 
This plugin should allow multiple server side "mods" to be run 
simultaniously. Important for this plugin framework to be succesfull is 
completeness,  good documentation, and  a  non-invasive licensing sheme 
(e.g. BSD).  I would be willing to spend some of my precious free time 
on this endavour.

The first step seems to me to get some requirements, what do we want 
todo with these server side mods?  Who is interrested in developing such 
a thing? Who is gonna use it?

>Of course, EA/DICE are the logical people to make this change, but wen haven't had any hints yet, that I know of, as to how receptive they are to such things (or whether they are even on this mailing list).
>
It would be very nice if Dice took up this challenge, but I'm afraid 
it's out of their scope.

With kind regards,

Anton Jansen